The wonders of modern technology #2342 A mobile phone video from the crowd at Leicester v Reading as they learn that results have gone their way and Reading have been promoted.
Featuring Stevie Coppell and his amazing “thrown into the crowd” coat.
Disclaimer: Steve Coppell is my childhood football hero
BBC SPORT | Football | Football mourns George Best death
I’ve been particularly annoyed by the media reporting of this event, for example, the “News Flash: George Best nearly dead.” and “I’m standing outside the hospital now, like a vulture waiting to feed on the rotten, broken carcass,” said reporter. Examples of how the “news” has turned into “entertainment”?
Anyway, I know people look at George Best and see self-destroying waster who stole that liver, but my dad was at Wembley 68 to see George help United win the European Cup, and I know he was the best player ever (okay one of two best players including Pele, and Maradona. One of three … repeat Monty Python to fade).
Bobby Charlton said today “We at Manchester United have learned from our experience with Eric Cantona, we had to treat him differently, make allowances. If, instead of being hostile to George, which I was, we had leaned a bit his way and tried to help him, who knows?”, so did he do it to himself, or was it the situation he was in?
I sometimes think Ryan Giggs was tamed and never turned into the player he could have been, but then Ryan is still playing at 32 and Best stopped at the top level at 24.
Here marks the passing of a football genius.
The football team very generously fell on their sword last night so that the cricket team could bring home the ashes (last test starts today). Obviously worried that S Jones was injured, D Beckham helpfully led his team to a impossible 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland (last win against England 1972; yes when I was born). Over the next 5 days, we shall see if this noble sacrifice (and J Wilkinson’s permanent injury voodoo) will be enough to overcome the might Aussies.
Now that is what football is all about.
I’m a Manchester United fan and know a little bit about comebacks in European Cup finals, but that was something extra special.
3-0 down at half time, totally outplayed by a class AC Milan, and to come back and win it!
Chelsea can buy the league, an American idiot can buy Manchester United, Arsenal can Steaua their way to an FA Cup, but you can’t buy nights like that.
A Liverpool fan at worked AIMed me Monday morning saying he’d never felt sorry for Man United before. At half-time I was feeling very sorry for Liverpool. Tomorrow, I’ll AIM him back. I think he might appreciate it.
I was getting very depressed about football, and now I can’t wait for next year. Bring it on. Let’s hope Gerrard stays and a proper club can win the title of Chelsea.
This season’s FA Cup final is a remake of my favourite FA Cup final ever, the 1979 final. Suprisingly, it is a game in which my team lost. I must be a sucker for exciting endings. This is only the second cup final I can remember, the previous year I remember telling my Dad I wanted the red team to win (cos I supported United) only for my Dad to explain the heinious crime I had just committed. Blue coloured underdogs it was then, and said underdogs, Ipswich beat the Arsenal 1-0, Trevor Brooking falling off the fence to score with a diving header from about a yard.
The 1979 final was mostly dull (I remember kicking the ball round in the back garden for at least 5 minutes after the second half had started). Dull that it, until the 86th minute. Arsenal had controlled the game and taken a 2-0 lead by half time. Suddenly, United got 1, then the got another. 2-2. Me and my Dad were still on our backs cheering when Arsenal scored the winner. I don’t think those moments were matched until a certain European Cup final twenty years later.
What is your favourite FA Cup final?
Reading on every other US weblog that the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series (world? but they haven’t played the English champions “DML Sisters”:http://www.hitandmissrounders.co.uk/FixturesResults/Tables.htm yet 
.
I learn from whump.com that the Red Sox last won the World Series in 1918, so there is hope for Tottenham (1961), Man City(1969) and Liverpool (1890) yet.
Wondering what on earth was going on in English Football I wandered over to a “statistics site”:http://www.nozdrul.plus.com/zfeweb/england/league/engchamp.html#c1920 and discovered that not much was happening because virtually all the players had been called up for the war. The first post-war winners in 1920 were “West Bromwich Albion”:http://www.baggies.com/, their first and last success. I don’t think the will have any chance of making a Red Sox style comeback this season and winning the league. Now that would be impressive.
Random associated points relating to football: Many complaints about the lack of variety in who wins the league these days, yet it’s been that way for a while now. Look at the 70’s. The only non-big clubs winning back then were a Brian Clough anomaly. In the 90’s Blackburn Rovers won it Chelski style by throwing a lot of money at the team in a very short space of time. A few years later they were relegated.
Also, many complaints about tackling in football. Apparently Arsenal would like it banned because they are girls[1]. And as for them moaning about penalties … what goes around, comes around and I only have to say Pires Portsmouth. It’s a good job they lose rarely, cos I can’t take their moaning for long.
[1] Van Nistelrooy on Cole excepted. No need.
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